Photo Album: 25 Romantic Drabbles
by Alicia Blade
Summary: Each drabble is a snapshot of Usagi and Mamoru's first season romance. A lot of sap! Enjoy!
1. 1 stargazing

Whew! I bring to you the complete collection of 25 Romantic Theme Drabbles, from the smfanfiction dot net drabble challenge. The contest is running for one more week if anyone feels ambitious! Enjoy!

1. Stargazing

Alicia Blade

255 words

"Go away. I'm stargazing."

Mamoru quirked an eyebrow at the girl sprawled out on the grass, then lifted his gaze up toward the pale blue, cloudless sky. "Odango, there aren't any stars. The sun won't go down for another hour."

"Just because you can't see them doesn't mean they aren't there."

He chuckled, finding that he couldn't debate that, and lay down beside her. "Yeah, but if you can't see them, what's the point in gazing at them?"

With an impatient sigh, Usagi looked at him from the corner of her eye. "I'm waiting for them to show up. I have to make a wish on the first one, and I can't miss it."

"You're willing to lay out here for hours just to make a silly wish?"

"It isn't silly. It's really important."

"What is it?"

"I can't tell you!"

"Oh, right, of course," he said, still laughing.

A quiet spell passed over them as they watched the sun turn the treetops orange, before Usagi asked, "Why are you still here?"

"Maybe you aren't the only one with an important wish to make."

"Are you teasing me?"

"Yes," he answered with a broad smile. "But I'm going to make that wish anyway."

She harrumphed and turned her head away. "Will you tell me when it comes true so I can say I told you so?"

Mamoru tilted his head to look at her, though her gaze was locked on the slowly darkening sky. "Yeah," he whispered. "I'll tell you the second it comes true."


	2. 2 love letters

2. Love letters

Alicia Blade

209 words

_Dear Mamoru,_

I have this school assignment in which I'm supposed to write a letter of apology to someone, so I'm writing this to you to say I'm sorry. I'm sorry that you're mean and rude and have no social graces to speak of and that your life will be long (because you're such a health nut) and lonely and miserable (because of the aforementioned traits).

All my best,  
Usagi

…

Dear Odango,

Why, how sweet of you to think of me. I suppose I owe you an apology, too. I'm painfully sorry that you are an annoying, ditzy girl who will die very young and obese because you've clogged your arteries with so much fat and sugar.

Yours,  
Mamoru 

…

Dear Mamo-chan_,_

Your sincerity astounds me. I'm glad that you're concerned about my health and well-being, and should your prediction prove true, I do hope you'll attend my funeral, along with the rest of Juuban and all my distant family and friends—because I'm popular and people like me. Who knows? Maybe you'll even make some extra friends there.

No, you're right, no one could stand you even in mourning. 

Love,  
Usagi

…

Dear Usako_,_

I love you too.

Sincerely,  
Mamoru

…

Dear Baka,

Don't patronize me.

Usagi


	3. 3 moonlit walks

3. Moonlight walks

Alicia Blade

100 words

I've had these dreams since I can remember, and probably even before. They're never clear. They never answer any questions or give any clues, but they do wake me every night, trembling and cold. I've taken to escaping from my bed's imprisonment into the empty streets, empty except for me and the moonlight. Sometimes the night air leaves me lonely. Sometimes I return to my apartment as if the walk were the dream and the nightmare the reality.

Sometimes the moon takes me into her arms like a lost lover, heartbroken only that I will leave her when morning comes.


	4. 4 secret admirer

4. Secret Admirer

Alicia Blade

516 words

"Rei's got a secret admirer!" Usagi sang, clasping her hands beneath her chin and batting her lashes at the Shinto priestess. "I bet it's Yuuchirou! He's been eyeing you all month, Rei-chan! I think he _loves_ you!" 

Rei lowered a haughty glare at Usagi, before turning her gaze to Ami. "What is she rambling about?"

"On our way in your grandfather asked us to hand this to you," Ami answered, pulling a small envelope out of her pocket. "He said that it was delivered earlier this afternoon, and the heart sticker would lead one to believe it likely is a love letter." She handed the letter over with an excited smile, but Rei grabbed it with little enthusiasm and bonked Usagi in between her hair buns with it as the blonde started making loud kissing noises.

"Grow up," she reprimanded, seating herself on her bed and nonchalantly opening the letter.

Usagi screwed up her nose, but bit back the wailing that wanted to come out in her excitement to hear more about the mysterious letter. She bounced onto the bed to look over Rei's shoulder, Ami seating herself on the opposite side as the priestess pulled out a little card that had a tiny red heart cut-out on the front. The inside read,

_My lovely Rei,_

You are the C-minor of my scale. You are the biggest wave of my ocean. You are the sacred fire of my shrine. You are my everything.

Loving you always from afar,  
Your devoted secret admirer

"Ha! I _told_ you it was a secret admirer!" Usagi squealed, bouncing around on the bed with a dreamy smile. "Rei-chan, you're so lucky! Do you think it's Yuuchirou? It sure sounds like Yuuchirou, doesn't it?"

Rei hummed a moment, staring absently at the card, before shaking her head. "No, actually, it's from Mamoru."

Usagi's bouncing immediately ceased as she turned wide eyes on her friend. "_Chiba_ Mamoru? No way!" 

"Definitely. He's been sending me letters like this for awhile now. I can tell his handwriting from a mile away. It's really pretty sweet, huh?"

Her gaze returning to the card, Usagi looked suddenly stricken and pale. She gulped, licked her lips, and finally forced herself to look up at Rei, who was watching her with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh! Oh… um, yes. It is… pretty sweet…" Then, catching herself, the blonde quickly shook her head with enthusiasm. "I mean, that's so gross! To think of Mamoru writing anything sappy is just… just…"

But her rambling was cut short by Rei's loud guffaw. "Oh, Usagi-chan, you're so gullible! Of _course_ it's from Yuuchirou! Honestly, do you think Mamoru could writing something this cheesy?" Leaning forward, Rei poked Usagi teasingly on the nose. "But you should have seen the look on your face! You know, I think Mamoru has a secret admirer… named Usagi! You've been eyeing him all month, haven't you? I think you're in _love_ with him!"

"I am not!" Usagi screamed in adamant disgust as a blush crept into her cheeks and Rei and Ami fell over in a fit of giggles.


	5. 5 private picnics

5. Private picnics

Alicia Blade

144 words

Every cracker was painstakingly set out on the platter in a perfect fan, followed by a row of thinly sliced salami and prosciutto, and ornamented with a dazzling array of yellow and white cheeses, some mild and smooth, some rich and crumbly. He cut the freshly baked artisan bread into bite-size cubes and tossed them in a napkin-lined bowl, covering them to hold in the heat. A shallow dish was filled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and a couple sprigs of rosemary. Lastly, he uncorked the red wine leftover from the previous night, the previous picnic, and filled a single glass half-full.

With a quiet sigh, he sat down at his kitchen bar and opened a nearby drawer, pulling out a 4-by-6 photograph of a very pretty blonde and leaning it tenderly against the empty wine bottle, before finally reaching for a fork.


	6. 6 cloud nine

6. Cloud Nine

Alicia Blade 

216 words

He was cloud nine walking into the arcade, with a grin that spread from ear to ear and a little bounce in his step. Watching him, Motoki felt a deep frown coming over his own features, but waited patiently for Mamoru to practically skip up to the counter, completely ignorant of his best friend's countenance. 

"You ran into her again, didn't you?" Motoki deadpanned once Mamoru had situated himself happily onto a stool.

The dark-haired man nodded ecstatically, his grin becoming impossibly wider.

"And you probably teased her, didn't you?" 

Like an ecstatic bobble-head doll, the man just kept nodding. 

"And did you make her cry?"

"Yeah," the man said dreamily.

"And did she say she hated you?"

"Yep." 

"And did she storm away vowing to never speak to you again?"

"Sure did."

Motoki sighed and shook his head. "Then _why_ are you so happy?"

"Because she slapped me," Mamoru said, practically glowing as he reached a hand up to cradle a slightly reddened cheek.

Quirking an eyebrow, Motoki prompted, "And that's good, because…?"

Mamoru laughed at Motoki's utter ignorance. "It was like being touched by an angel."

With a groan, Motoki rolled his eyes. "Dude, you're hopeless."

The smile stretching over Mamoru's lips led Motoki to believe he wasn't saying anything Mamoru didn't already know.


	7. 7 trapped together

Apologies for this one. I seriously could think of nothing better. If you don't get it, don't worry. 

7. Trapped together

Alicia Blade

100 words

Usagi wished that she wore a watch, or that she could see Mamoru's, but his wrist was tucked comfortably beneath his head, which was settled comfortably on her lap, and she had no desire to wake him. After the stormy evening being whiled away, filled with magic tricks, hairstyling, lullabies, apologies, and even a tango dance (anything to pass the time in that damn elevator), she was sure that Mamoru was wiped out. In fact, she felt close to dozing off herself.

But as her eyelids grew heavy, Usagi couldn't help but wonder why this whole evening felt peculiarly familiar.


	8. 8 first kiss

8. First Kiss

Alicia Blade

284 words

"I bet you've never even been kissed, have you?" 

Usagi puffed up her chest, her eyes quickly filling with furious tears. "So?" she all but screamed, fists planted on her hips. "Just because I've never been kissed has nothing to _do_ with boys liking me or not!"

"Oh really?" Mamoru smirked, a peculiar glitz in his eye.

"Yes, really! As a matter of fact, I'm saving it for someone!" As soon as the words escaped her, Usagi clapped a hand over her mouth.

The irritating man laughed, leaning his elbows back against the counter and watching her with evident amusement. "Saving your first kiss, huh? And who will the lucky man be?"

Usagi drew her brow down and bit her tongue, determined not to answer him, but she soon realized that hiding the fact just made her look like she was making it all up—and then he would win. So, thrusting her shoulders back and tossing her hair with false confidence, she coolly answered, "Tuxedo Kamen."

And Mamoru's stunned look was all she waited to see, before spinning on her heels and stomping out of the arcade, continuing a quiet rant to herself as she made her way home. 

Ten minutes later and still a half mile from her house, Usagi's angry tirade was interrupted by someone clearing their throat from behind a tree. Turning toward the intruder with part-surprise and part-annoyance, Usagi stopped in her tracks as her eyes fell on a black top hat and red-lined cape.

"Excuse me," Tuxedo Kamen said, slightly more flustered-looking than she'd ever seen him, though she was too flustered herself to notice, "but… I think there might be something you've been waiting to give me…"


	9. 9 stolen kiss

9. Stolen Kiss

Alicia Blade

500 words

"It's just such a sweet idea!" Usagi said dreamily, tenderly kissing a tiny thimble sitting on her pointer finger.

"I don't know, it seems like cheating to me," Makoto commented, swirling a straw through a milkshake.

"I agree," added Minako. "Why kiss a thimble when you can have lip-on-lip action?"

"Maybe Usagi realizes kissing a thimble is the closest she's ever going to get?"

Glaring at Rei, Usagi crossed her arms, clenching the little silver thimble in one hand. "You guys don't get it. You're completely missing the romance of it all! Peter Pan and Wendy were just kids, so to share a kiss through a thimble was really endearing and innocent! And Peter thought that's how it's done—he didn't know any better, which just makes it even cuter!"

"Maybe the author was just trying to keep it G-rated," suggested Ami, leaving Usagi to throw her hands up in exasperation—and promptly smack Mamoru's nose in the process.

"Ow! Odango!"

Gasping, she whirled around, coming face to face with a red-faced Mamoru who was gingerly rubbing his nose. She started to apologize, but caught herself just in time.

"What are _you_ doing here?"

"Getting assaulted, evidently," he muttered. "What on earth were you muttering about anyway? Peter Pan? Don't tell me you've become literary all the sudden."

"I saw the movie last night," Usagi responded through clenched teeth. "Not that it's any of your business."

"That makes more sense. God forbid you put away your manga in order to read a classic."

Usagi huffed. "I read classics all the time, I will have you know. I read _Alice in Wonderland,_ and _Wind in the Willows,_ and… and that one… with the bear… and the donkey…"

"_Winnie the Pooh_?"

"Yes! _Winnie the Pooh_!"

No longer able to restrain his laughter, Mamoru just about doubled over. "Odango, those are all children's books!"

"So? They're _classic_ children's books," she refuted, ignoring his chuckles and pointing her finger in his face, dangerously close to the sore nose. "And some of us have what's called a social life, unlike _you_ with your _War and Peace _and _Moby Dick_ and complete lack of real friends!"

Mamoru quirked an eyebrow in amused curiosity, but instead of responding, a sly twinkle entered his blue eyes and he casually puckered his lips and kissed the little silver thimble Usagi was ignorantly holding before them.

Her eyes widened and she snatched her hand back as if he'd burned her. "Hey! I kissed that first!"

"So?"

"So! So… you just kissed me!"

Mamoru snorted and held back another bout of laughter, sliding his hands leisurely into his pockets. "I agree with Rei. Maybe kissing a thimble is the closest you're ever going to get." Smirking, he turned and sauntered his way out of the arcade. Usagi, fuming, threw the thimble at the back of his head, but it bounced off and clattered innocently to the tile floor.

When her anger had faded slightly, Usagi couldn't help but murmur, "Lucky thimble."


	10. 10 shared secret

10. Shared Secret

Alicia Blade

226 words

"So let's recap, shall we? You were orphaned at the age of six when your father drove you and your mother off a cliff, leaving you the only survivor and with complete amnesia. You're plagued with nightly dreams of a princess, whom you cannot see the face of, but who constantly begs you to bring her the Silver Imperial Crystal. You fantasize about being Tuxedo Kamen, the mysterious assistant to the Sailor Senshi whose chosen weapon is a steel-tipped rose. And you're hopelessly addicted to black coffee from the Crown Arcade, which is the workplace of your one and only friend, Motoki. Did I miss anything?"

"Nope, that sounds about right."

The therapist crossed her legs and set her pen and paper aside, sliding her spectacles down to the bridge of her nose and frowning at her patient. "Good. Now that we got all of that out of the way, why don't you tell me why you're really here?"

Mamoru turned his head in surprise, looking up at her from his spot on the sofa with a mixture of nerves and bewilderment. He opened his mouth to protest, but the woman cocked an eyebrow that sent him cringing back into the pillow and refocusing his gaze on the ceiling. Finally, he inhaled a long breath and clenched his hands together on his stomach.

"There's this girl…"


	11. 11 candlelight

11. Candlelight

Alicia Blade 

1159 words

She walked into the dojo on bare feet, her satin night robe wrapped loosely around her body. The summer air kept the room warm even after midnight and a gentle humming of crickets behind the temple made the night feel exotic and lively.

Rei tapped a candle at the entrance with her fingers, instantly igniting a small, and picked it up. Walking around the room, she lit the tall taper candles that always stood against the walls waiting to cast a warm, flickering glow over the wood floors. As each wick sparked to life, Rei felt more and more comfortable in the large, near-empty room. Ever since she was a child, fire had made her feel welcome and protected—of course, the reason for this became blatantly obvious when, four months ago, she'd become the Sailor Senshi of Mars and Guardian of Fire itself.

When all the candles were lit, she took her flame and sat down beneath the charred embers of the Sacred Fire. She looked into the smoldered coals for a long while, focusing her breathing into a calm mantra, before leaning forward and dropping the candle into the pit. A moment later, a wave of fire grew out of the coals, peacefully at first, then stronger, encouraged by Rei's gentle coaxing. It only took a few minutes for the flame to become a healthy, roaring fire, sending sparks dancing in the night air and filling Rei's senses with the familiar scent and taste of charred wood and stone. She inhaled it lovingly, before closing her eyes and concentrating on the dilemma that had brought her into the dojo in the middle of the night—an odd feeling she hadn't been able to shake for over a week.

It had started when she, Usagi, and Makoto had been out shopping downtown. The day was wearing on and they were each laden with shopping bags and boxes and significantly lighter wallets, when they spotted Mamoru walking toward them on the sidewalk. Usagi immediately bristled—preparing herself for a verbal assault even before Mamoru had noticed them—and Makoto's fingers started twitching, ready to jump in and pull Usagi back the second it looked like the girl was about to make the argument more physical. For her part, Rei felt a tinge of excitement to see the man approaching, though not, perhaps, the giddy excitement of meeting her crush that one would expect. If anything, she'd just taken to enjoying the little squabbles between Mamoru and Usagi. She couldn't put her finger on it, but there was something about seeing the two together that gave Rei a sense of peace—even if was being constantly interrupted by Usagi's wails and Mamoru's sarcastic laughter.

Mamoru did see the trio and it was impossible not to notice a slight quirking of his lips and a glinting of his eyes. He veered off his course to walk straight toward them—or, more specifically, toward Usagi. Wasting no time in jumping to the unspoken challenge, Usagi straightened her back and waited for the man to begin his harassment. "Don't tell me you got a hold of your dad's credit card, Odango Atama," Mamoru began, eyeing the packages that dangled from her arms, and ignoring those carried by Rei and Makoto. "You're surely going to drive your family into debt. I guess it's a good thing no one expects to have to pay your way through college."

"For your information, I am very good at saving my allowance, and this was all from my own pocket, thank you. Besides what's it to you how I spend my money?"

He shrugged. "It's not. I'm just wondering if I should go warn the chocolate manufacturers that they're about to hit drought, what with you on the loose with money to spend." 

She rolled her eyes and the banter continued. It was a full five minutes before Rei noticed Makoto tapping her foot and checking her watch. Nodding in agreement, the priestess grabbed Usagi's wrist and started pulling her around Mamoru, ignoring the girl's protests.

"Sorry, Mamoru, but we have to get going. See you later!"

"Bye Mamoru-san," added Makoto.

"Hope to you fall into a ditch, baka!"

Mamoru's laughing could be heard even from half a block away, and Makoto and Rei found themselves walking ahead of Usagi who decided to walk back and sulk moodily rather than join in the continued gossip session.

It wasn't until a few hours later that the event had surfaced in Rei's mind as something slightly out of the ordinary. Something different about Mamoru's insults, something strange about Usagi's insults, something unusual in Usagi's following behavior, but the change was so miniscule that Rei couldn't even pinpoint what was giving her the strange feelings. She'd tried to brush it off completely, besides, what did she care how Mamoru and Usagi's fights went? But when the odd feeling continued to plague her over a week later, and continued to grow every time she saw the two together, she decided to explore the emotion in hopes of discovering just what it was that her psychic senses were picking up on.

That's why she had decided to ask the Sacred Fire about it.

Now, sitting in front of the burning flame, she focused her energy on that one meeting. The fire responded by replaying the scene in crystal clarity, from Mamoru's first approach, through the five-minute-long argument, to Mamoru's laughter as Usagi was dragged unceremoniously away, and still, Rei could see nothing extraordinary, nothing that would lead her to think anything was different about this one confrontation.

She frowned, her brow furrowing even as sweat beaded on her forehead. Certainly she was missing something...?

But then, she gasped, her eyes still glued to the figures depicted in the flames. Blinking, she sat forward, watching, squinting to be sure what she'd seen was real.

As the girls had walked away, Makoto and Rei already forgetting the argument, Usagi lingering behind, the blonde paused, only for a moment, and slowly—almost ashamedly—glance over her shoulder. At the same time, Mamoru, still chuckling and walking in the opposite direction, turned back as well. There was a smile on his face, but it dimmed with surprise to see Usagi looking at him. Gasping, the girl turned away and jogged to catch up with her friends, a blush beginning on her cheeks. Mamoru watched, seemingly frozen in place, until the girls rounded a corner, before looking down and the tiniest grin finding its way back to his lips as he proceeded on his way as well.

Rei sat back on her heels, letting the fire burn down to a slow, steady flame, wondering if what she'd seen in that moment could have been real, if the emotion connecting the gazes of her two friends wasn't just a trick of the fire. Knowing that the energy coursing between the two wasn't very much unlike the energy of love.


	12. 12 caramel

12. Caramel

Alicia Blade

380 words

"Flavors that compliment chocolate," suggested Usagi, then pointed at Makoto. "You would be peanut butter, because you're nutty."

Laughing, Makoto turned to Minako. "Then Minako would have to be marshmallows, because her head is so full of fluff!"

"Aw, I was going to say that," said Rei, giggling at Minako's semi-irritated expression, before the blonde's lips turned into a mischievous grin. "Fine, then Rei is strawberries. Sometimes sweet, but usually sour, and the seeds always get stuck in your teeth!"

"Good one!" cheered Usagi, giving Minako a high-five.

Rei tried to look displeased, but a smile quickly broke out. "How about you, Motoki? I'm thinking mint. You always leave one feeling fresh and reenergized."

No one was sure if that was a blush on Motoki's cheeks, but he glowed with the compliment. "Thanks, Rei-chan! And I'm going to have to say that Ami is like my personal favorite, orange cream. Delicious and satisfying, yet strangely healthy…"

Ami laughed and shook her head. "I really don't think orange cream is healthy, but thanks anyway." Still grinning, she turned to Mamoru, who was staring up at the ceiling in adamant refusal to comment. "And Mamoru would be…"

"I am not a flavor."

"Oh, come on, Mamoru, stop being such a stick in the mud," accused Motoki, nudging Mamoru with his foot. "It's just a game." 

"It's a stupid game."

"I know what Mamoru would be," Usagi piped in. "He would be really, really dark chocolate. Boring and bitter."

"Dark chocolate isn't boring! It's great for baking, and has more antioxidants than milk chocolate," Makoto pointed out, and was quickly met with Usagi's scowl.

"You missed the point."

"Well what you be, Usagi-chan?"

Everyone turned to look at her, except Mamoru who, while keeping his eyes glued overhead, suggested, "Caramel."

On instinct, Usagi glared at the man and was about to retort when she realized that she had no idea how that could be construed as an insult. After a moment of contemplation, she asked, "And what does that mean?"

Although his face was a perfect replica of expressionless stone, Mamoru seemed to be struggling with a response. After a long while, he shrugged. "You know that too much will give you a stomach ache, and yet you find the sweetness irresistible anyway."


	13. 13 poetry

13. Poetry

Alicia Blade

504 words

"I won!" Usagi squealed, sprinting into the arcade with a newspaper dangling from tightly clutched fingers. Motoki barely had time to greet her before she lunged into his arms in a huge bear hug, repeating again and again, "Motoki-san, I won!" 

Laughing, Motoki managed to pry the girl off him. "What did you win, Usagi-chan?"

"A haiku contest for our school newspaper! Can you believe it? I always thought I was horrible at poetry, but maybe I have some hidden talent nobody knew about." 

Still chuckling, the arcade clerk congratulated her. "That's great! How about a milkshake on the house? Did you win a prize?" 

"Yup, I got a $25 gift certificate to a bookstore. At first I was just going to give it to Ami, but I hear this bookstore sells manga."

"I tried to convince her to get some poetry books, but I don't think my suggestions will be appreciated," said Ami, smiling as she and Makoto walked into the arcade, obviously having been left in the dust in Usagi's mad rush to share her news. 

"It's quite the accomplishment," added Makoto. "There were probably forty or fifty entries. Usa's going to be the next Maya Angelou."

"Who's that?"

A snort was heard from a nearby booth and Usagi turned to see Mamoru smirking at her. Her good mood immediately fizzled.

"I somehow doubt she's going to be the next anything," the man said, aiming to infuriate the girl as much and as quickly as possible. "So are you going to read this great masterpiece to us?"

The girl's eyes widened drastically, and he could have sworn a blush spread over her cheeks, but assumed it was just slow-to-rise anger. "Absolutely not!" she spouted. "You don't deserve to read my prize-winning haiku!" Sticking out her tongue and grabbing the milkshake, she stormed to the other side of the arcade, possibly to soak in creative genius for awhile.

"Actually…" Makoto murmured, approaching the dark-haired man and fishing through her book bag, "Usagi's just being shy. I think you might enjoy this poem, Mamoru-san." Winking mischievously, she turned and took a gawking Ami's hand, leading her back toward their blonde friend.

As they left, Mamoru could have sworn he heard Ami whispering, "Usagi-chan is going to _kill_ you if she finds out you gave it to him!"

Curious, and curiously interested, Mamoru looked down at the amateur newspaper, noting that the haiku contest article had been flagged and highlighted. Usagi's was at the top of the page. The first reading took his breath and left him wondering if he'd misread. The second reading led him to believe it must be some sort of joke. But the third reading gave him the most peculiar sense of hope.

_True love is scary  
When you fight everyday  
Afraid to say more_

Submitted by Tsukino Usagi, written for C.M. 

After the fourth reading, he tucked the paper away with a broad smile and went to congratulate the prize-winning poet on the most wonderful thing he'd ever read.


	14. 14 bed of roses

14. Bed of roses

Alicia Blade

288 words

Sailor Moon's scream was cut short as a warm body collided with hers and sent them both tumbling down into the grass, just in time for the youma's flaming scythe to pass harmlessly over their heads. A few oomphs and oafs were heard as the two heroes rolled to a stop, and Sailor Moon found herself dizzy and light-headed as the world turned white to gray to black. A moment later, the imposing shadows began to dissolve away and she heard Sailor Mars overhead—angry, again.

"Sailor Moon, would you get up? Lots of help you were with that youma. How long are you going to just lie there? He's not a freaking bed, you know." 

Sailor Moon groaned and inhaled a deep, cleansing breath in an attempt to fight off a headache and drown out Mars's voice at the same time. But that breath brought in a sudden wave of the most heavenly aroma she'd ever been faced with. With a longing sigh, she turned her face down and buried it into the warm softness beneath her.

"Sailor Moon, what are you doing? Would you get _off_ of him?" Mars screamed.

Ignoring her, Moon murmured, "You're like sleeping in a bed of roses."

"Oh, gag me," Mars said, stooping down and yanking Sailor Moon roughly off of Tuxedo Kamen. "Honestly, sometimes I'm embarrassed to know you."

Snapped from her reverie, the headache returning, Moon turned to the Senshi of Fire. "Well I'm _always_ embarrassed to know you!" she spat, igniting a quarrel and tongue war as Tuxedo Kamen slyly got to his feet and crept away, eternally grateful that the quiet and polite Sailor Mercury was the only one to notice the deepening redness in his cheeks.


	15. 15 dancing

15. Dancing

Alicia Blade

424 words

I don't know who he is, but I must be in love with him. He found me not ten minutes after I had gotten to the Diamond Ball, dressed in a tuxedo and mask, like all the other men. And a cape, like no one else.

He's tall, towering over me as we dance. His hands are warm and large and pull me close and hold me gently against his chest, and dip me against the empty air and twirl me so that my dress swirls around my legs. When I smile, he smiles, and his lips and teeth are divine, and the dimples in his cheeks so honest, and he looks happy. He feels happy, his feet light on the marble floor. He laughs and I laugh and we're perfect together. I don't know where my friends have gone. I know only that I never want this night to end.

Another song fades to an end, but a tolling clock in the distance—only two echoing rings—alerts the dancers that it was the last song. The ball is over. I feel like a tardy Cinderella.

We stop dancing and my feet begin to throb almost immediately. I'd forgotten that they were even attached to me the last few hours. Ignoring them for a little longer, I tilt my head up to see him looking at me, the hint of a smile left, but now with undertones of sorrow and regret. I gulp, wondering if we're over already. Could this perfection be made only for one night a year?

I hold my breath as he leans down, brushing his cheek against mine. I close my eyes, lift my arms around his shoulders and eagerly clench my fingers around the material of his jacket. Don't let him leave. Don't let my first love leave me so soon.

"Thank you for a wonderful night," he murmurs into my ear, sending chills along my neck and tears filling up my eyes. He's leaving me, and I haven't told him yet. The roles are reversed: I'll have no shoe to find him at the end of this fairy tale.

"Thank you," I whisper sadly, inadequately back.

Pulling away, he faces me, brushing his nose against mine. My eyes still closed, I smile. But I do love him.

"And you look beautiful tonight…" he says, his voice briefly choking up. I open my mouth to reply, but he continues, "Odango Atama."

My gasp is cut short by his divine lips tenderly pressing onto mine, and then he's gone.


	16. 16 holding hands

16. Holding Hands

Alicia Blade

391 words

Turns out that it wasn't all it was cracked up to be.

He was her boyfriend, her first boyfriend, and they walked into the arcade holding hands like girlfriends and boyfriends do. It brought an odd sort of satisfaction, like the winning of a prize one had sought for a long, long time.

But that satisfaction was just as quickly followed by disappointment, like finding out you were a runner-up, not the grand prize winner after all.

His hands were warm, but clammy. Big, but not strong. He kept letting go of her hand to rub sweat off on his pants—and she felt guilty for enjoying those short respites. She smiled. She looked at him with doe eyes and fluttering lashes and thought, _What am I doing?_

She was beginning to feel like that girl she'd never wanted to be. She wondered if something was wrong with her. After all, he was fun, he was handsome, he was popular, and he liked _her._ So how come it wasn't how she'd dreamt it would be? How come she was dreading their first kiss? She knew that this just couldn't be how things were supposed to go. 

Maybe she just wasn't the hand-holding type. Maybe she would like it more if he put his arm around her waist or shoulders. Maybe she would like it more if they linked elbows. Maybe she would like it more if he just went away for a little while.

She sighed and turned away from whatever he was saying and scanned the arcade, looking for someone that she didn't know she was looking for until she saw him. And only when her eyes fell on his did the guilt turn into something akin to shame, and the disappointment grow to outright misery. His piercing gaze was looking at their interlocked palms, glowering, while his own fingers mindlessly ripped a napkin to shreds.

She realized while ignoring her new boyfriend's good-intentioned ramblings that she was losing something very important, and very dear. If she was going to stand here holding his hand, she wouldn't be able to walk over and spar with the enemy, which at that moment seemed to be the only thing she wanted to do.

Shame. Misery. _This can't be right._

Setting her jaw and straightening her shoulders, she let go of his hand.


	17. 17 cuddle

17. Cuddle

Alicia Blade

492 words

"What do you _mean_ you never had a teddy bear?" Usagi asked, disturbed.

"It isn't that hard to believe, Odango," Mamoru muttered, not sure if he was irritated that the girl was still following him (even though their typical argument would have ended six blocks ago), or amused by her antics. The fact that she found such a simple fact so impossible to believe was just like her, of course, but he couldn't grasp what the big deal was. "It's just a teddy bear, Usagi. Trust me, it was the last thing on my list of things deemed missing from my childhood."

Usagi scowled, not sure what he meant by that, and not sure she wanted to know. "So what did you use? Did you have another kind of stuffed animal?"

"Nope. No teddy bears, no stuffed anything. Why are you still following me?"

"So what did you do when you were sick? Or when there was a lightning storm? Weren't you ever scared?"

He sighed. "Don't you think it's a bit irrational that kids are so dependent on inanimate objects? It's cloth and stuffing! It's not like these toys are set up to ward off a burglar or something."

"No, but they're meant to ward off fear and loneliness. I can't believe you never had a teddy bear. It's abnormal." She sulked quietly for awhile, still walking by his side as his apartment building came into view. For a moment he thought her endless questions had finally abated, before she piped up with, "Don't you ever get nightmares?"

"Of course I do, Odango," he said, but dared not admit how frequently he woke up to the echos of screaming in his ears and the metallic taste of blood in his mouth. "But then I drink a glass of water and go back to bed. They're just dreams. Look, this is my apartment. You're not going to follow me in, are you?"

She looked up at the apartment, then back down the street, surprised she'd walked so far with him. "Oh. No…"

"Good. Goodbye, Odango." 

"Don't call me that, you teddy-bear-less jerk!" she screamed as he disappeared through the building's revolving doors. 

…

The next day Mamoru came home from work to a little brown teddy bear sitting innocently in front of his apartment door, a note tied to its wrist.

_Maybe having someone to cuddle with when you have nightmares will keep you from being such a jerk all the time._

His name is Kuma. Be nice to him.

Usagi 

He smirked and took it inside, knowing that the poor thing would end up in a closet the next time he had company. But for the time being he figured it couldn't hurt for Kuma to have a premium spot beside his pillow. And while he wasn't sure how much it helped with how big of a jerk he could be, he found it did help a little with the nightmares.


	18. 18 walks on the beach

18. Walks on the Beach

Alicia Blade

610 words

She'd been gone for a _week_ and Mamoru was twitching with impatience for her return. Any minute he knew she'd come dancing into the arcade, smiling and bubbly and telling Mamoru all about her family's vacation to the beach. 

Okay, fine, she would actually be telling _Motoki_ all about her family's vacation to the beach, but that wasn't the important part.

"Usagi-chan, you're back!"

Mamoru jumped and spun around on the stool, a goofy grin on his face that he simply couldn't hide. And he was not to be disappointed as Usagi radiantly skipped straight to the counter and plopped herself down on the stool next to Mamoru, setting a basket onto the countertop and returning Motoki's greeting with "One chocolate milkshake, please! Motoki, I've missed your shakes so much!"

The arcade clerk chuckled and immediately set to work, leaving Mamoru to stare whimsically at the girl, his heart thudding. If it wasn't completely against every fiber of his mental being, he would have tackled her in a great big hug—he'd missed her so much!

But just as Usagi turned her attention to him, Mamoru painfully forced the smile down from his face, though he couldn't tame the rapid beating of his heart.

"Hi, Mamoru-baka!"

He bit his tongue and clutched a hand around his coffee mug. It was all he could do to keep from latching onto her shoulders and pleading with her never to leave him for so long again.

"Hey, Odango," he replied in a voice strained by attempts not to smile giddily. "How was the beach?"

"Oh, it was wonderful!" she said, beaming, and pushed the basked she'd brought in toward him. "I spent almost the whole time out on the sand, walking around and looking at the waves. I saw one sunrise and three sunsets and two seals and an otter and I _think_ I saw a killer whale! And look at all these shells I brought back!"

Mamoru was grateful when she turned her sparkling blue eyes toward the basket so that his impossibly wide grin could break out again. His heart was expanding to the full width of his chest as she reached into the basket and began shifting through the treasures within. Finally, he forced himself to follow her gaze and found himself looking at quite the collection of beach souvenirs: seashells, sand dollars, and polished stones of all shapes and colors.

Curiously, he reached in and picked out a handful of little shells, clam and mussel and oysters and a bunch he couldn't name, then peered up at Usagi from the corner of his eye.

"Odango," he said, biting back a laugh, "all these shells are broken. You're supposed to keep the ones that are intact."

Rolling her eyes, Usagi snorted at the suggestion. "That's silly. The whole shells will always find someone to take them home. But the broken shells are the ones that really need someone to love and appreciate them." To prove her point, Usagi picked a particularly dark and bumpy and broken oyster shell off of Mamoru's palm and held it up with a loving look on her face. "See the inside, right here? It has a whole rainbow of colors, and I bet this one had a pearl in it once. It doesn't need to be perfect to be pretty. You see?"

"I see," Mamoru murmured, but he wasn't looking at the shell. Finally, his willpower broke down on him altogether and he practically jumped off the stool, wrapping the girl up in a huge, overpowering hug. After her squeal of stunned surprise, he pressed his cheek against her hair and whispered. "Welcome back, Odango."


	19. 19 daydreaming

19. Daydreaming

Alicia Blade

195 words

He closed his eyes and he could see her. The silver outline of her dress, the long hair drifting in a gentle breeze, the distant, tear-filled eyes. He could hear her hollow voice inside his head, calling him a name he did not know, "Endymion, my love, you must bring me the Silver Crystal. Endymion, please…"

Squeezing his eyes tighter, he forced himself to approach her, pushing through the dream fog, feeling the heavy mist beading on his skin. The moon covered the world in a fine layer of iridescence—the very air shimmered around him.

At first, her image started to fade, but he clenched his jaw and forced his mind to keep her in focus. He was breathing heavily, but slowly the air began to clear, the dark waves of her hair caught the light and radiated like gold. The shadows over her face shifted, revealing ivory skin, pink lips. Tears streaked down her lovely cheeks and he found himself looking into two vibrant blue eyes.

"Mamoru, my love…" Usagi murmured through barely-smiling lips as he took her into his arms and kissed her for what must have been the thousandth impossible fantasy.


	20. 20 massage

20. Massage

Alicia Blade

471 words

Mamoru lifted his head from the hanging position it had been stuck in for what felt like a week. Cringing at the stiffness in his neck, he rotated his shoulders a few time and tried to stretch his neck muscles from side to side, flinching at the tenseness. With a sigh, he pushed the biochemistry textbook away on the arcade table, mumbling, "Only two more chapters to go…"

"What kind of geek studies on a Saturday?" a cheerful voice asked from behind him, followed by a firm swap on Mamoru's shoulder that left him groaning and rubbing gingerly at the spot.

"Geez, Odango, have you been taking steroids?"

"What? I barely touched you!" seating herself at Mamoru's side and pulling the textbook toward her. A moment later, she grimaced distastefully and shoved the book away. "You _are_ a geek."

When Mamoru wasn't quick with a flippant response, Usagi glanced at him from the corner of her eye to see him still rubbing gingerly where she'd smacked him. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, I'm just stiff from pouring over that book all afternoon," Mamoru answered, once again trying to stretch out the compacted limbs.

"Oh…" Pursing her lips together, Usagi watched as Mamoru gingerly tilted his head from side to side with closed eyes and a tightly drawn forehead. It was obvious by his lack of flexibility and the constant pain in his face that _stiff_ was probably an under-exaggeration. "Well, here, scoot forward," she commanded, prompting a skeptical look from her self-proclaimed mortal enemy. 

"Why?"

"Because I said so, dork!" Without waiting for Mamoru to comply with her demand, Usagi stood up on the bench and went to sit behind him, propping herself comfortably on the booth's backrest.

"Erm… Odango, I don't…" Mamoru gasped as Usagi's hands found their way determinedly to his shoulder blades, and not a moment later all thoughts of protest were wiped clean away as she gently kneaded her knuckles, fingers, and palms into the sensitive muscles.

"You're like a rock back here," Usagi said, pressing her thumbs into the tissue extending from the base of Mamoru's neck. "This is going to take a lot of work."

Mamoru's response was an incomprehensible moan of approval, at which Usagi stifled a giggle, and continued, "You are going to tip me, aren't you?"

A few more pleased sounds escaped from his lips.

"A chocolate shake would be nice…"

Was that a purr?

"…every day…"

Yep, that was definitely a purr.

"…for, say, a month?"

When Mamoru didn't protest, a huge grin spread over Usagi's lips and she put more body weight into the intensifying massage. Massage the shoulders of one hot college student, earn the envy of every girl in the arcade, and get free milkshakes in the process? This was one business deal she could definitely come to enjoy.


	21. 21 homemade gift

21. Homemade gift

Alicia Blade

581 words

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

Mamoru chewed on the inside of his cheek, furrowing his brow in disbelief. A moment of silence hung between him and Motoki, before he shook his head and spouted, "But seriously, are you _sure_?"

Rolling his eyes, Motoki pushed the gift toward Mamoru, almost dumping it off the table into his lap before the black-haired man hastily caught him, and just as hastily set it back on the table before releasing it as if it had burned him. 

"Yes, I'm _positive._ She said it was for you. Quite clearly."

"What were her exact words?"

Motoki paused to think, before reciting, "'Motoki-onii-san, could you do me a big favor and give this to Mamoru-baka when he comes in?' And I said yes and put it underneath the counter and she left, end of story."

With a frustrated sigh, Mamoru leaned forward to get a closer look at the gift, still seemingly afraid to touch it, before slumping back in the bench. "But why? Why would she give this to me?"

The clerk shrugged, a smug grin on his lips. "Well… either this is her way of calling a truce between you two, or…"

"Or…?"

Motoki turned away, smiling out the window. "Or maybe she has a crush on you."

Mamoru guffawed at the idea, but couldn't deny that Motoki could very well have a point. After all, it wasn't exactly the kind of gift that one gives away to just _anybody._ And he found it equally difficult to deny that a humble, soft-spoken little piece of him almost wished that it was true. Usag crushing on him? The very thought made his heartbeat speed up and a blush rise up in his cheeks. He guffawed again in hopes that Motoki didn't notice. But his friend smirked at him with an irritating couldn't-be-fooled look.

"So… what am I supposed to do now?" Mamoru mumbled, eyeing the little gift.

"I would think that the proper thing to do would be to give her something in return. Assuming, of course, you reciprocate."

"Reciprocate what?"

Laughing, Motoki shook his head and stood from the booth, calling over his shoulder, "That is the question, isn't it?"

…

"Mama, are you sure?"

"Yes, honey, I'm sure."

Usagi glanced down at the little wrapped package, her heart beating furiously. "But seriously, are you _sure_?"

Setting one hand on her hip, Ikuko frowned at her daughter. "Usagi, I already told you everything I know. A nice young man came to the door, he was very tall and handsome, he said his name was Mamoru, and he asked me to give that to you. Now are you going to open it or not?"

With trembling hands, Usagi forced herself to unwrap the present, scared nearly to tears. She wouldn't be able to stand the devastation if he'd returned her gift to her…

Finally, the plain brown wrapping paper fell off and she pulled the lid off of a little box. 

Her breath caught. Her eyes widened.

_Dear Usagi-chan,_ the card read, _It isn't as perfect as yours, but I wanted to thank you and this was the best I could do. It is a great picture of us, isn't it? Yours, Mamoru._

But the little picture frame with the stickers, glue stains, mismatched buttons and seashells and ribbons, and the picture inside of her and Mamoru arguing with each other on a rainy afternoon was the most perfect thing she'd seen in all her life.


	22. 22 reunion

22. Reunion

Alicia Blade

287 words

"Aw, come on, how can you not want to go to our one-year high school reunion?" Motoki asked, evidently stunned by Mamoru's decision.

"Because it's been a _year._ We had to put up with those people for four years of our lives, I deserve to go at least another nine before having to see them again." 

Motoki folded his arms and drew his brown down in perplexed irritation. "I thought you liked high school."

"Whatever made you think that?"

"Well… between the scholarly awards, the crowds of girls always following you around, and being the school valedictorian, it just seemed like a given."

"You're right, between the seven hours of studying a night and rejecting the hundredth brainless lemming for prom, it was like a four-year-long party, wasn't it?"

Motoki's frown deepened. "Is it because you don't have a date?"

Groaning, Mamoru buried his head in his hands. "Gee, however could you tell?"

"No, really, 'cause I could get you a date."

"I don't need you to get me a date. I just don't want to go."

"You sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure!"

"Hey, Usagi-chan?" 

"Yeah?" Hearing her name from three booths down, Usagi jotted over to the boys, oblivious to Mamoru's suddenly horrified expression.

"Mamoru needs a date to our one-year high school reunion. Do you want to go?"

Her eyes widened. "Seriously? I'd love to! Eh… there will be free food, right?" 

"Lots of it."

"Cool! Of course I'd like to go!"

"Great, Mamoru will pick you up at seven." 

"Okay, sounds good. Bye!"

Motoki smirked at Mamoru as the girl bounced back toward her friends. "Sure you don't want to go?"

Glowering, Mamoru skulked down in his seat. "Fine, but I'm not making a speech."


	23. 23 flirt

23. Flirt

Alicia Blade

226 words

I know I flirt with him. I flirt with him all the time. 

I can't help it, please understand. He's so nice. He's so funny and easygoing and… yes, and handsome, too. And yes, I had a crush on him for awhile. When I met him, for a few weeks, or maybe even longer. For a little while I thought maybe he even liked me back. And back then I just got in the habit of flirting with him. 

You know, instinctively.

But that was before… 

Well, everything. Because it was before you. And there was nothing before you.

And I can't flirt with you, you must know. I wouldn't know where to start. I'd get tongue-tied and awkward and you would laugh. You'd see right through me. You would never understand that I'm not just flirting to flirt. With him, yes, but with you? Never. It isn't like that.

This is… 

This is…

It just isn't like that.

I can't go on. I can't explain whatever this is. But can you just, please, ignore the eyelashes fluttering at him? Forget about the giggling? Pretend like it never happens?

It doesn't mean anything. It never meant anything. It's just a farce, a decoy, a game, and I can't treat you the same way. I never could and I never will. 

You're the only one I want.


	24. 24 shared milkshake

24. Shared milkshake

Alicia Blade

365 words

"Broken? How can the milkshake machine be broken?" Usagi cried, face and voice full of desperation.

"I'm sorry, Usagi-chan, but it just stopped working. Mamoru got the last one, and even that only got about half full."

Usagi glanced at the dark-haired man who had his coveted milkshake pulled protectively toward him. For a brief moment she considered kindly asking if he would share with her, or let her buy the rest of it off him. After all, she'd had a really hard day at school and had been looking forward to this since second period. On the walk to the arcade she could practically taste the cold chocolate ice cream melting on her tongue and feel the sweating glass in her hands and the straw snugly between her lips. The thought of not having a milkshake nearly broke her heart, and there was Mamoru faking ignorance at her plight, his eyes guiltily attached to some spot on the ceiling while his knuckles turned white on the glass's stem.

She sighed. No use asking him for anything—he would just taunt her. "I thought you only ordered coffee," she said gloomily and started reading the dessert menu, hoping something else would catch her eye, but even the chocolate mousse cake and triple-flavor banana split couldn't compete with one perfect chocolate milkshake.

"Man cannot survive on coffee alone," Mamoru answered, sucking the thick beverage slowly up through a lime green straw.

Scowling, she kept her eyes glued to the menu. "Don't get philosophical on me right now." Hmming and Haaing awhile longer, hearing her stomach rumbling unsatisfactorily—she wondered if it was aware of the man so selfishly depriving her of her deserved afternoon treat—she was finally about to order a plain vanilla sundae, when a milkshake glass one-third full was slid in front of her.

With a gasp, she blinked down at the lime green straw, the little bits of whipped cream and sprinkles still floating on top, the goop of darker, unmixed chocolate sauce drizzling messily down the side, then turned to face Mamoru.

He wasn't looking at her, but he was smiling as he called Motoki over. "One cup of coffee, please."


	25. 25 popping the question

25. Popping the question

Alicia Blade

306 words

She gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. "Oh… Mamo-chan…" she breathed, eyes filling with tears as the love of her life knelt down before her, a small velvet box held in the palm of one hand as he gingerly took her fingers into the others.

"My beautiful Usako," Mamoru murmured, blue eyes gazing adoringly into hers, "I know we haven't been together for very long, and I know that our relationship started out a little rocky, but you are the light of my life. You are my joy, my comfort, my passion. You are my everything, and I can't imagine living a moment without you. Some people may think this is sudden, what with us fighting like cats and dogs yesterday and just admitting our true feelings a few hours ago, but the love I feel for you is eternal and will never fade, so I see no point in waiting. Usako, my Usako…" he paused with a nervous smile and opened the box to reveal a dazzling diamond ring. "I love you, now and forever. Will you marry me?"

Her face lit up in an angelic smile. "Yes! Oh, yes, Mamo-chan, of course I'll marry you!" she cried, lunging herself into his arms and completing her answer with a passionate, promising kiss.

…

"What on Earth could she be thinking about that makes her smile like that?" Mamoru muttered to his best friend, Motoki, as they watched the blonde giggle and sway and grin and squeal to herself in the corner booth.

"No idea," Motoki mused, his expression just as perplexed. "Girls are weird." 

Mamoru nodded, staring at the girl who was practically glowing with imagined happiness, a small part of him wishing that he had been the one to put that perfect smile on her lips. "Yeah," he finally responded, "girls are weird."


End file.
